Lee Mark Unseats Shyne; Tracy is First Woman Opposition Leader

The United Democratic Party took a beating at the polls on Wednesday. While they managed to hold onto five seats in the House of Representatives, they haven’t made much headway across the country. Despite this, the election marked a historic moment for Belize, as the first woman Leader of the Opposition will soon be appointed. Tracy Taegar-Panton held onto her seat in Albert, but her political rival Shyne Barrow suffered a shocking defeat in Mesopotamia. Unseating Shyne was a bittersweet victory for the Alliance for Democracy. The faction paid a heavy price, with Patrick Faber losing his seat in Collet and John Saldivar failing to reclaim his seat in Belmopan, making Panton’s win a costly one. Tonight, News Five’s Isani Cayetano delves into the battles in Albert and Mesop.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The United Democratic Party entered the 2025 elections in disarray. With constant infighting and a leadership dispute, voters in the Albert and Mesopotamia constituencies faced ballots with multiple UDP candidates for each division. In Albert, Area Representative Tracy Taegar Panton was challenged at the polls by fellow UDP member Jose Luis Uc Espat and People’s United Party candidate Kaya Cattouse.  Over in Mesop, incumbent Shyne Barrow faced off against Lee Mark Chang. Although both are from the UDP, they belong to different factions within the party.  PUP candidate Lawrence Ellis also contested that seat. These constituencies drew particular attention throughout the election due to the rift within the opposition party.

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“I have been here for the last four and a half years. I haven’t gone away, I didn’t go away, I didn’t come back, I didn’t leave.  I have been consistently working in the division every week for the last four and a half years.  They know, my voters know that I am accessible, they know that they can talk to me.  They have always, can come and talk to me, they can call me, they can email me.  So our conversation has been an ongoing conversation.  There’s nothing that they have to wait to tell me four and a half years later.”

 

Among the three candidates trying to unseat Taegar-Panton in Albert, Kaya Cattouse stood out as the most formidable. With her youthful energy and bold trash talk, the two-time city councilor brought a classic ‘hare and tortoise’ challenge to the race.  Meanwhile, Taegar-Panton’s party rival, Shyne Barrow, was just as confident about winning in his constituency.

 

Shyne Barrow, U.D.P. Candidate, Mesopotamia

“As far as here in Mesopotamia, I’m quite satisfied with the turnout thus far.  Everyone is coming in the office, checking in after they vote, and so we’re satisfied.  We’re at ten o’clock and I believe a significant amount of people have voted that have committed to us and so we look forward to getting our target number by the end of the day.”

 

You might wonder, why was this seat so crucial for Barrow? It all boils down to the leadership of the struggling party. Without winning a seat, Shyne can’t lead the UDP after the general election.

 

Isani Cayetano

“Do you believe, or do you feel, perhaps, that you’re probably in the fight of your political life here in Mesop, or perhaps as the leader of the United Democratic Party”

 

Shyne Barrow

“No, that’s the hype.  Dehn da lone hype.  Lee Mark [da] hype.  [Lawrence] Ellis [is] non-existent and at the end of the day, as I said earlier when speaking about my colleagues, we’re here to serve people.  I serve at the pleasure of the people, the people gave me one term and I’ve asked them to give me another and I am confident that they will.”

 

By nightfall, the tide had turned for Cattouse and Barrow, who seriously underestimated his opponent, taking jabs at Chang for his past defeats.

 

Shyne Barrow, UDP Candidate, Mesopotamia

“The people have spoken. Congratulations to Lee Mark Chang, he is now the new area representative for Mesopotamia and I wish him well.”

 

Lee Mark Chang, Winner, Mesopotamia

“I feel good, I feel humbled.  I just want to, again, thank the people of Mesopotamia for electing me and giving me the opportunity to serve with my sister right here, Tracy, cause I will work with her.”

 

Cattouse, on the other hand, ended up like the hare in Aesop’s classic fable, and those snarky comments from Independence a few weeks ago might have been her downfall.

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“I am so grateful. It’s awesome.  Change is a must and change is on its way and we will rebuild the United Democratic Party at full strength.”

 

Lee Mark Chang

“Thank you,sister. Thank you.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.